we all know this team can score, quickly and in bunches, inside and outside. Offensive turnovers can occur with young players, and that will be corrected by experience and coaching as the season progresses. The biggest deficiency this team needs to correct is defense. I have always heard that defense is the toughest thing for young players to learn at this level. If that is true, then we are watching that unfold as this season progresses. Players need to talk to each other, screens need to be read, and communications on how to handle those issues need to be established. I believe this team will be entirely different by the end of the regular season. If we learn to play consistent defense by the end of regular season, we may well be a force to contend with--It will be fun to watch--

True true true. You cannot beat a go-go team like Citadel unless you are willing to match their defensive intensity. As deep as we are we should be able to keep fresh bodies guarding them all night. Show up expecting a war. Great defense is about effort and depth, and it feeds your offense.

I totally agree. As these guys mature, the defense could improve significantly.

At the same time, I think we might have a difficult time totally recognizing just how good some of Wofford's players who have graduated in recent were defensively. As a non-expert fan, it's hard for me fully grasp, I figure. After all, it's easier to notice how many shots a guy makes than how many times he keeps an opponent from making an easy entry pass into the paint.

But I'm thinking that Karl Cochran was an absolute stud on defense....super-athletic and tough, could probably lock down most any guard he went up against. Lee Skinner might not have blocked tons of shots or done things that looked spectacular, but my guess is that he made it an unpleasant chore for just about every offensive player he was assigned to. I think Tim Johnson was probably that kind of player -- even more undersized, but athletic and aggressive and no fun to deal with. Cameron Rundles and Jamar Diggs were athletic and tough on the perimeter, with a nasty edge.

I'm not sure Wofford has too many players like that right now. That isn't a criticism of anyone...those were pretty special players defensively, I reckon. And I do think Wofford has a few athletic and strong freshmen who may get to that point. Meanwhile, it's hard to complain about some of the shooters the team has. If the defense can come along to a fair degree, I think the T-Dogs should have a chance.

Looking at this Mercer game film, it appears we played with a lot of energy, which carried over to our defense and stopping penetration, plus some dish-offs for easy baskets of our own. Inside guys were active too. So we can do it, but have not been doing it consistently enough. We have to do it night in and night out if we are to have a chance to win the SoCon tournament. Dude, you are right about Skinner: he did a lot of great things and set a tone on defense, which did not always show up in the stats. Will never forget how he faced up to Anya at N.C. State, who was six inches and 70 pounds bigger than Lee; Anya was shocked and Lee's teammates were inspired. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XKPZphf4g4